50 shades of Grey: Is it really THAT exciting?

The 14th February is traditionally the day to celebrate love with cheesy teddy bears, flowers and overly priced restaurant menus. However, come 2015, a parade of people will be looking forward to celebrating the release of 50 Shades of Grey on the silver screen.

What started out as a Twilight Fan Fiction piece has now been turned into a multi-million pound movie (and possibly a franchise). Thousands will flock to the big screen to watch this so-called ‘mummy porn’, which is centred around how a stereotypical tortured and controlling man ‘falls’ for Anastasia , your quiet and average girl who is practically waiting around for a man to come and save her. This same girl you’ll see completely abandon her personal identify for the sake of a man who makes her sign a sexual contract.

Christian Grey isn’t the man he’s painted to be. He’s held ups as the ultimate man of every girls fantasy’s, but when we look at who he actually is on paper, he’s someone that everyone would want to be stay clear of at Drapers. A man who is jealous, paranoid and unable to communicate effectively with people. Certainly all qualities every girl looks for in their prince charming.

The implied sexual violence and violation is also accepted as the norm by the book. Anastasia is clearly abused in the book, yet she still looks over it for the lavish lifestyle he’s able to provide for her, a message which shouldn’t be endorsed. Even his stalking nature is considered ‘romantic’, and it’s something no person in reality would accept, so why don’t we care that we are letting this story romanticise and glamorise perverse behaviour.

I’m not the only one worries about this movie. With over 6000 signatures on LifePetitions to boycott the movie, many are worried about the implications that this movie could have. Jonathan Van Maren, leader for the Boycott put it perfectly when stating “Would you want your daughter to date Christian Grey? Would you want your son to turn into him?”

We can’t have our younger generation being brought up thinking that this type of sociopathic behaviour is healthy and normal in a relationship. Young people who are new to relationships often turn to things in popular culture, such as TV or books, to gauge exactly what is the ‘norm’. So if we glorify a dominating, frankly abusive, man as what should be wished for, and even normal, within a relationship, it’s not going to help anyone.

I’m not denying that it’s interesting and beneficial for women to have popular media explore sexuality for once, or stories which are about which include bondage, but this need to be done it the parameters of a healthy relationship. One which is based on loyalty and good communication, not one that is emotionally damaging to both sides of the party.